Improve Your Vision – seeing clearly near and far is a holistic vision workshop with Bates method-in-training instructor, Dr. Veronica Kaye. Dr. William Bates was a prominent ophthalmologist in the 1920s who became frustrated with prescribing glasses and wanted to know how he could truly improve the vision of his patients. To understand natural vision better, he traveled to many hunter-gatherer societies around the world and found the natural rate of myopia was 0.02% – virtually none of the Indigenous cultures wore or required glasses of any kind. In fact, some had vision so sharp they could see the rings of Saturn with the naked eye.

Upon return to the United States, Dr. Bates studied eye movements in sighted vs blurry eyed individuals and discovered many unique qualities that those with excellent vision had, while those with blurry or poor vision did not. He discovered vision is a habit, and a habit can be changed.

Similarly, genetic studies found that Inuit Elders did not require glasses and did not have formal education, while a smaller percentage of their children (who had part-time formal schooling as children) required glasses. The grandchildren of the Elders received full-time formal education and their myopia rate skyrocketed to 82%, suggesting the vision problems in our lives are not genetic and can be caused by the way we use our eyes and the strain placed upon them.

Veronica is studying with Dr. Ainhoa de Federico with the ClearSight Method and Holistic Vision Training under the tutelage of Nathan Oxenfeld. Nathan had moderate myopia (-4.0 prescription) and severe astigmatism, only to reverse his condition using the Bates method to a 0.0 prescription and no astigmatism. Paul McCartney also discovered the Bates method in the 1960s, and today at 83 still does not require glasses.

In this class, we will explain why relaxation is key, misconceptions of the eye, bad vision habits keeping you from seeing clearly, and vision practices that will regain your natural ability to see clearly without glasses.

This workshop is primarily designed with myopia (nearsightedness) in mind; however, it is open to everyone.